In the current process of miniaturizing semiconductor devices, low-k dielectric materials are desired as the inter-metal and/or inter-layer dielectric between conductive interconnects in order to reduce the resistive-capacitive (RC) delay in signal propagation due to capacitive effects. As such, the lower the dielectric layer constant of the dielectric, the lower the parasitic capacitance of adjacent conductive lines and the lower the RC delay of the integrated circuit (IC).
However, the materials that are currently being considered or used as low-k dielectric materials are not ideal. In particular, in choosing a material based upon its dielectric constant (k-value), and particularly based upon its low-k value, other characteristics, such as the hardness of the material or its strength, may not be ideal for use in a semiconductor manufacturing process. As such, improvements in processes that utilize low-k dielectric materials are desired.